I always thought that the whole business of the digging of the tunnel and the Battle of the Crater would make a great movie. There'd be lots of suspense as the Pennsylvanians dig the tunnel. Then there's all the political maneuvering as to which units would lead the attack, and -- of course -- Ferraro and what's his name in the bombproof, getting drunk while their men are being mowed down. There's a great cinematic story here.

I liked kj's suggestion because the subject is small enough to be of budgetary interest. And the story itself needs no invention. The cast needn't be large and none need box-office importance. Only one scene (hopefully a lengthy one) requires extras, and those extras would be re-enactors who would cheerfully absorb their own expenses just to be in the movie. (Well, maybe they'd expect lunch.)

There'd be the situation, the idea, the proposal, the selling of the proposal, the digging and the inherent engineering problems, the decision to replace the USCT strike-force with untrained strike-troops, some gratifyingly carnage, and fade to a scroll with the statistics.

Not a multi-million dollar epic, but I'd pay to see it and buy the dvd.

CleburneFan, I'd forgotten about that at the beginning of Cold Mountain. I only watched the movie once, though I've got it on DVD in my movie collection. I'll have to get it out and watch it again.

And like you say, ole, the story's got everything but the gratuitous cheesecake. In many ways, the whole story reminds me, when I start thinking of it in cinematic terms, of those WWII thrillers that come along every so often.

After watching Cold Mountain once the only two parts I would watch again are the opening Crater scene and the Singing in the chapel scene. I forget right now what type of singing it is but it is such a well done scene. The rest of the movie except maybe Renee's character is forgetable . I was so tired of the two main characters I wanted to scream at them. Oh wait I think I did .

Susan

P.S. Maybe Little Billy Mahone could be seen eating cheesecake at the end of the movie Ole.

I agree with you 100%, Susan. I found the movie, and the book, boring as all get out. I tried reading the book three different times, and each time could not get past the first quarter of the story. One thing I absolutely dislike is a book in which the author treats puncutation marks as optional. No quotation marks when someone is speaking? Please! I got so confused at times, not knowing if the characters were just thinking, or saying something out loud. In short, I thought the book, and the movie, got far more attention than either deserved. But...that's just my opinion. ;-)

But I really like your idea of at the end of our proposed Crater movie, of having Little Billy Mahone eating some cheesecake!

The only way I got though the book was I had it on tape and listened to it as I drove though North Carolina on my cross country trip. I had tried to read it several times and never made it. I also did not pay full price for the book on tape. I use to haunt the outlet store at different outlet malls and buy up books on tape for cheap. Sadly the chain of bookstores at the outlet malls is gone now so don't have very many books on tape left to listen to. Do have the one on the Mayflower on cd to still listen to though. I also still have a few books on tape I have saved to listen to again.

Billy Mahone eating cheescake is a funny thought considering that beard of his .

Savez, can you site some research or studies that clearly demonstrate that what is claimed to have happened at Fort Pillow is, in fact, overblown propaganda? I would be very curious to read what such scholars have to say and what evidence they offer to support their argument.

I also think the Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid on Richmond would be great turned into a movie. Dahlgren fighting through chaos and no assistance from Kilpatrick would be excellent to see. It would be the best way to end the movie in my opinion, but the story still goes on with the Dahglren Papers. Though it may not be as exciting to see as the raid it still would very interesting to see.

____________________That old man...had my division massacred at Gettysburg!"
- George Pickett said these words to John S. Mosby shortly after paying Lee a visit in Richmond
"Well, it made you famous"
- Mosby's reply to Pickett

As a fun, or somewhat fun, aside. Did you all know that John Wayne's gfather, Marion Morrison, after whom he was named, was one of only 2 survivors of a drunken Confederate cavalry massacre near Ft. Donelson in the summer of 1864? This was an element of the 83rd IL of which Morrison was a member out of Warren Co. Although the men would not surrender--they kept on fightign with stones and their rifles as clubs--since they were unarmed and vastly outnumbered (11:70), there was not need to kill them. See official war records report, from August as I remember.

Wayne's uncle was a math professor at Monmouth College in Warren Co. Through my Gibb relatives, I'm very loosely related.

Battle of Chickamauga, Rosecrans, Union Commander overly confident from the recent success of forcing Confederate forces under General Bragg out of Chattanooga, pitches battle against Bragg. Gen. Bragg despised by his own generals and troops, he flounders on the first day of battle and will not even visit the battlefield for the second. Cleburne, Hood, Longstreet, and Forrest through superior generalship route the Union advance. General Thomas becomes the Rock of Chickamauga, Bragg fails to follow up, Forrest threatens Bragg, and you have the makings of a very good movie.

Battle of the CSS Alabama vs. USS Kearsage in Clerbourg, France. Captain Raphael Semmes of the CSS Alabama, the South’s most destructive ocean raider has successfully sunk or burned 65 Union vessels, captured & ransomed another 10, including the sinking of the s USS Hatteras over the last two years. Captain John Winslow of the USS Kearsarge, has confronted Captain Semmes once before early in the war, but now has an opportunity to stop the raider again. Captain Semmes, hearing the Kearsarge is outside the port in Clebourg awaiting his departure, sends a challenge for a ship to ship dual. Classic battle, surprise, tactics, one of the most lauded accomplishments of the war by Lincoln and the North.

Battle of Franklin, Hands down the movie should be made from the book The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks. Has the essence and horror of the battle, the aftermath, romance, a little something for everyone and a very good story to wrap around the McGavocks honoring those soldiers who fell in battle.

____________________"the way to whip an enemy is to get 'em skeered, and then keep the skeer on 'em"

After re-reading all the posts on possible movies, I have to put Chancellorsville in second place and go with the Crater also - would make a fantastic movie.

Regarding Cold Mountain, I tried reading it several times, tried the audio version once and never got through it. Then, much later, I saw the movie and realized why I never finished the book. It would make a good soap, however.